The invention relates to keyboards and other key operated instruments, such as computer terminals.
The typewriter or computer keyboard that we use today (at the time of this application) is, in its layout, practically identical to that designed by C. Latham Sholes for his typewriter in 1873. It is often called the QWERTY keyboard after the order of the top row of letters and is also called the universal keyboard, since the keyboard is that used in all typewriters sold to the general public. The QWERTY or universal keyboard is described in many publications, one of these being the magazine "New Scientist" of Jan. 8, 1981 in an article beginning on page 66 thereof. The arrangement of letters and keys on the keyboard seems quite arbitrary; however, the keyboard arrangement is well suited to touch typing.
The Sholes typewriter (as well as all typewriters) made until recently (the early 1960s) were mechanical, and each of the keys of the typewriter mechanically moved a type bar toward the paper for a printing action. Nobody knows exactly why Sholes chose the QWERTY keyboard arrangement; however, parts of it clearly owe something to alphabetical order (D-FGH-JKL). The traditional explanation is that the keyboard was designed to keep those type bars which were likely to be pressed on consecutive strokes separated so that the type bars did not clash. Ever since the Sholes typewriter, because there were more typewriters in existence with the QWERTY layout than with any other, manufacturers usually kept to it. Thus, the QWERTY or universal keyboard is universally used today even though other key arrangements have been proposed, such as the Dvorak alternative keyboard described in the "New Scientist" article above mentioned.
The universal keyboard has four parallel rows of keys that extend left to right with respect to the typist positioned in front of the machine. Early such keyboards did not include a shift key so that all of the typing was done in capital letters; however, with those keyboards now in use a shift key is provided so that capitals are typed by pressing the same keys as for lower case letters but with the shift key being depressed. The uppermost or fourth row (the row farthest from the typist) is the numeric row for typing the numerals when the keys in this row are pressed; and the first row (the row closest to the typist) and the second and third rows are all letter rows for typing the letters of the alphabet when the keys of these rows are pressed.
A typist is expected to make the second row a "home" row, and he keeps his fingers on this row except when reaching toward himself to the first or lowermost row or when reaching away from himself to either the third row or to the numeric or fourth row. Each of the rows of keys consists essentially of ten keys, and the third or top lettered row has keys marked with the letters (starting from the left end of the row) Q, W, E, R, T, Y, U, I, O, P. The second or home row has its keys marked with the letters A, S, D, F, G, H, J, K, L,--. Generally the tenth key is used for typing a semicolon or when the shift key is depressed for typing a colon. The lowermost or first row of keys are marked with the letters Z, X, C, V, B, N, M,--,--,--. Generally the eighth key of this row is used for typing a comma and the ninth key of this row is used for typing a period, either when the shift key is depressed or not. The tenth key of this lowermost row is generally used for typing a slash and for a question mark when the shift key is depressed.
The keys of the keyboard are also arranged in approximate columns of four keys each including respectively the corresponding keys of the four rows, the fifth key of all four rows being in the fifth column, for example. The columns, however, do not extend directly toward or away from the typist or at right angles to center lines through any of the rows of keys and are not straight. A touch typist is trained to use any particular finger of his two hands on just one column of keys (except for the two index fingers which reach also for adjacent central columns of keys). For example, the little finger of the left hand normally stays on the "A" key on the left end of the home row and in the first column but may reach toward the operator in the first column to the "Z" key in the first or lowermost row or may reach away from the operator in this column to the "Q" key in the third row or may reach still farther away from the operator to the "1" key in the uppermost or fourth row and in this column. The index finger of the left hand, for example, normally rests on the "F" key in the home row but is used also on a reach for the "V" key in the first row or for the "R" or "4" keys in the third and fourth rows all in the fourth column. This index finger also services in like manner the next, fifth column of keys which are arranged to type "G", "B", "T", and "5" respectively in the home, first, third, and fourth rows.
As previously mentioned, the columns of keys for which the fingers are respectively obligated do not extend directly toward and away from the operator, and the columns of keys are not on straight lines. Corresponding keys in the lowermost and second rows, such as the "Z" and "A" keys in the first column, have their centers on a line that extends about 28.degree. from a normal to any of the center lines of the key rows, while the corresponding keys of the second and third rows in any one column are more normally disposed with respect to the center lines of the rows, particularly at about 16.degree. with respect to normals to the center lines of the rows. The centers of corresponding keys in the home and numeric rows in any one column are about on lines extending at 22.degree. with respect to these normals.
The spacings of keys of the universal keyboard have been made so that the keyboard accommodates itself to the hands of most people. The spacing of the rows of keys is about 20 millimeters (mm) on centers, and the spacing between adjacent keys in each row on their centers is also about 20 mm. There is a spacing of about 8 mm between the adjacent edges or surfaces of keys in the same column, and there is a spacing of about 6 mm between adjacent edges or surfaces of adjacent keys in the same row. Each key on its face has a width (along the row) of about 13 mm and has a height (at 90.degree. to the center line of the row) also of about 13 mm. This results in the key spacing as just described and tends to assure that even though a single finger extends laterally for more than the 13 mm width and 13 mm height when a key is depressed, nevertheless this finger overlaps some of the spacing between this key and the adjacent keys so that only the intended key is depressed. Likewise a finger utilizes some of this same space when an adjacent key in the next column or row is depressed.
This arrangement of keys necessitates a reaching of about 21 mm from the "A" key to the "Z" key or "Q" key on centers and a reaching of about 42 mm from the "A" key to the "1" key by the little finger of the left hand in typing the letters "A" and "Q" and numeral "1". The reach by the small finger of the left hand from the "Q" key to the "Z" key is about 42 mm. All of these keys are in the first column. The reaches between the keys in the other columns are the same. The index finger of the left hand must reach even farther; the reach from the center of the "R" key to the center of the "B" key is about 52 mm. The reaches from any of the numeral keys for which any particular finger is responsible to some of the lettered keys is even greater. The typewriter is arranged so that each of the keys has substantially the same stroke and depression as each of the others (such as 5 mm) so that for those keys that require finger reaching, first the finger is moved to contact the key and then the key is depressed with the same stroke as is required for any of the home row keys.
Thus, due to the haphazard layout of the keys and the substantial distances between them (which are required with the universal keyboard in order that a finger does not simultaneously depress two of the keys at the same time), a flurry of finger activity is required in order that typing may be accomplished; and there is a corresponding fatigue due to this flurry of activity.
Although the universal keyboard was designed more than 100 years ago by Sholes (for his mechanical typewriter), there apparently has been no serious effort to replace the universal keyboard because millions of buyers know how to typewrite by touch on it and obviously do not want to learn a different system. Thus, from very early in typewriter history, the idea of changing Sholes' nonsensical keyboard has been considered to be hopeless. Apparently typists' opinion was against the change, even when there were very few typists and even before touch dominated the scene. This is all true even though so called electronic typewriters recently put on the market are gradually displacing those of the mechanical type. An electronic typewriter has an electrical switch that is actuated by the depression of each of the keys of the keyboard, and these switches are connected to a matrix for causing the proper printing action corresponding to the particular key depressed. There is thus at this time no compulsion due to the mechanics of a typewriter necessitating the use of the haphazardly arranged universal keyboard.